When I talk about a series of linked books done well I usually refer to Karen Rose’s work. Rose is an author I discovered a decade or so ago and think I’ve mentioned before that I mapped out some of the relationships between the characters in her early series to ensure I read her books in the right order (given that I started after she had published quite a few).

Essentially what she did was include a couple of key characters with a few peripheral characters playing minor roles. And it’s one of those characters who’d pop up in the next book. Yes indeed…. every child wins a prize. She did however – back then – only write a few books in each series and (from memory) any characters we met before played pretty minor roles next time around.

This book is billed as the fourth in her linked series based in Cincinnati.  As a result it features quite a few characters readers have met before. And when I say quite a few, I mean shitloads. And in non-technical speak, I mean there were – I think – a few too many.